My Record Collection by Clean Cut Kid's Mike Halls

In My Record Collection, we dig down to the bottom of musicians' souls to find out what the most treasured parts of their record collection are. This week, it's the turn of Clean Cut Kid's Mike Halls, let's see what he picks out...

You can check out some of Mike's picks in this playlist...

The first record I ever bought with my own money was…

"This is Van Halen's first album. I’d save my pocket money for a couple of weeks and me and my best mate Luke would sneak into Liverpool. There was this amazing alternative shopping arcade called Quiggins. We’d spend hours deciding what CD to buy and then have a coke in the cafe."

The record that made me want to be in a band was…

"This is The Red Album, which is a compilation of The Beatles' early hits (Also known as 1962-66). When I was six years old I had a Sony Walkman and three tapes. The Red Album, the Blue Album and Michael Jackson’s Dangerous. I would ride up and down the street on my bike, and just play them all back to back until the batteries died. I was totally obsessed. Mum says as soon as the headphones hit my ears I was in a trance!"

The record I’ve played more than any other is…

"This is Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. Certain albums just used to put me in a hole for months on end. I’d be so obsessively engrossed, I just could not physically listen to anything else. The Suburbs was the worst of them. I think I only listened to that for 18 months after it came out. Who else could take such a seemingly minute subject, such as growing apart from your childhood friends: and make such a masterpiece of a record about it! It's just flat out unbeatable!"

The record that always make me feel good is…

"The Shins' Wincing The Night Away. I discovered the Shins about the same time I discovered girls, alcohol, nights out, playing in bands: and just generally being young and free. I had severe epilepsy in my early teens, and I stared listening to this record around the time I came off the medication, moved away from home and started enjoying myself. The Shins never fail to make me smile."

The record I turn to when I’m feeling down is…

"Ryan Adams' 29. This was the soundtrack to my first big break-up. It usually plays second fiddle to Heartbreaker, but for me it's definitely his writing peak. This record, melodically and lyrically influences my writing more than most….it's my only choice for a good cry!"

The record I think is the most underrated of all time is…

"Fionn Regan's The End Of History. Why Fionn Regan isn’t held up along-side the great folk writers is a mystery to me. This record is a masterpiece. It's self produced, and you get the impression that these were songs he’d sweated over for years. You won’t skip a track on this one."

The record with my favourite cover art is…

"Blur - The Magic Whip. Luckily this record is fuckin great, but even if it wasn’t you’d buy it just for the cover art. It's got it all, neon lights, Japanese writing, an Obi Strip and even a mirror on the back."

The record with my favourite title is…

"Youth Lagoon - A Year of Hibernation. No title has ever more accurately summed up a record’s sound. This is the first full Youth Lagoon album, and will always be the best for most of his fans. You have to listen to it cover to cover, and experience the magic of being locked in someones bedroom with him, making heartbreaking music washed in ridiculous amounts of spring reverb!"

The record I can’t understand why everybody loves is…

"The last Drake album. I really liked the first record….everything else since…..no so much..."

The last record I bought was…

"Shura - Nothing’s Real. We toured with Shura last year and fell totally in love with her set. I can’t tell you how long I’ve yearned to hear those tunes recorded: and let me tell you they don’t disappoint. Her songs are incredible, her voice is beautiful and every single detail of the artwork, font etc is an 80’s dream."

The record I’m most looking forward to hearing in 2016 is…

"Haim. I fully expect to lose a year of my life to their new album."

The greatest record of all time is…

"Paul Simon - Graceland. Anyone who doesn’t get this record has no clue about music. Full stop! If this recording doesn’t fill you with joy, you’re not a human being I want to know. We won’t get on, we’ll never be friends!"